BrianMay&NicolaSturgeon

Brian May and Nicola Sturgeon

Brian May meets Scottish First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon. Dr Brian May and Anne Brummer met Scottish First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon at ‘Holyrood’ to discuss fox hunting and the Scottish Government’s commitment to review the existing legislation on the issue in Scotland. Dr May was instrumental in galvanising the public to lobby their MP’s when David

Cameron announced his proposed statutory instrument amendment in July said ‘Part of the government’s case for amendment was to bring the English and Welsh act into line with Scotland, this has prompted a closer look at how the Scottish legislation on hunting operates in practice”.

The review will consider how the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act has been meeting its aims, thirteen years after the legislation was brought into force to control hunting with dogs. The First Minister has also confirmed that any breaches of the Act will be included in the wildlife crime annual report.

Nicola Sturgeon said: “It is over a decade since Scotland led the way in the UK in banning the use of dogs to kill foxes and other wild mammals and we are committed to a ban remaining in place”, “However, there has been a great deal of debate in Scotland about the effectiveness of the current legislation and that is why, in my Programme for Government, I will review the operation of the Act to determine whether we should take steps to strengthen the current law.” “It is important that the legislation meets its intended aims and protects our wild animals, so I will publish our review within the coming months, setting out next steps.”

Anne Brummer, CEO of The Save Me Trust said, “We had a good conversation with the First Minister, it is clear we are working towards the same goals“. Anne continued “Both Brian and I enjoyed meeting Nicola, we are looking forward to working with her in the future and sharpening up on our social media skills” she explained “Nicola is a "complete whizz" with social media, she showed us some great tips when working off your mobile”

Outfoxing one’s opponents is enjoyable at any time, all the more so if it's an offensive that David Cameron and Co somehow failed to anticipate, and even better, leaves them spluttering with indignation too.

That a row over the repeal of the hunting act was such a successful battleground for the SNP highlights one of the key features of Scottish politics today. There is an interesting, inverse phenomenon at play in these days of the democratic deficit when Scotland votes one way, and England another.

To put it simply; the more Unionist parties can be wound up, the angrier they become, and, the more gleeful Scottish voters are, and that makes the SNP happy. ‘The Vote That Never Was’ illustrates how little the Westminster machine understands Scotland. How could Team Cameron and the Countryside Alliance have failed to foresee the Scottish nationalists’ cunning yet eminently predictable approach? yet somehow, they have walked straight into the trap.

The SNP forced Cameron to pull his pledge to relax the ban on hunting in England and Wales after signalling a change in its long-held approach at Westminster to non-Scottish issues.

Rather than abstaining, it said it would reject the proposals. Because there are a fair number of anti-hunting Tory MPs, the vote of the SNP’s 56 MP’s would have been decisive. The proposals would have fallen.

Sturgeon's defiance over hunting reveals the power of nationalists

The morning after the Scottish referendum, Cameron sought to wrong-foot his opponents with his surprise move to settle the vexatious issue of hunting, with his EVEL (English Votes for English Laws) pledge. But was Dave too clever by half?

Caledonian hackles were raised – and they have stayed up. The SNP produced a subtle widening of its definition of Scottish interests. In February, Nicola Sturgeon said that “hunting, south of the border was the type of Westminster vote beyond SNP MPs’ interests’. But five months is a millennium in contemporary UK politics, and there was a delicious pot-kettle-black moment when Cameron raged at the nationalists’ “opportunism”.

The proposed statutory instrument to amend the 2004 Hunting Act and “bring it into line with Scotland’s Protection of Mammals Act 2002, that was successfully scuppered yesterday, would have brought hunting laws in England and Wales into line with Scotland’s less prohibitive legislation.

Many argue that this has zilch to do with our foxy friends, whatever side of the border they live on. It is all about more powers being devolved to Holyrood and those EVEL plans. Sturgeon was, she says, simply reminding Cameron how slender his majority in the HoC is. Some lesson. Cameron would do well never to underestimate Sturgeon again!

Even inside the ‘Westminster bubble’, Dave must be dimly aware that a Tory government more likely boosts the case for Scottish independence than a Labour one.

The SNP makes mistakes, of course. There are problems with Police Scotland, the NHS and education, all responsibilities of the Scottish Government – and, let’s be honest, that’s been the SNP since 2007. But, in the current climate north of the border, no one seems to want to listen.

The Nationalists tails are up. They, of course, have one over-riding, long-term aim. They are coherent, disciplined and clever, in fact, in any given circumstances, they seem to play their cards more cannily than their opponents but will Nicola & Co’s promised review of the Scottish Protection of Wild Mammals act be the saviour for foxes in Scotland or across the UK or will the UK even exist?

8th September 2015

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon met Dr Brian May and Anne Brummer, Chief Executive of the Save Me Trust at ‘Holyrood’ to discuss fox hunting and the Scottish Government’s commitment to review the existing legislation on the issue in Scotland.

Dr May was instrumental in galvanising the public to lobby their MP’s when David Cameron announced his proposed statutory instrument amendment in July said ‘Part of the government’s case for amendment was to bring the English and Welsh act into line with Scotland, this has prompted a closer look at how the Scottish legislation on hunting operates in practice”.

The review will consider how the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act has been meeting its aims, thirteen years after the legislation was brought into force to control hunting with dogs. The First Minister has also confirmed that any breaches of the Act will be included in the wildlife crime annual report.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “It is over a decade since Scotland led the way in the UK in banning the use of dogs to kill foxes and other wild mammals and we are committed to a ban remaining in place”, “However, there has been a great deal of debate in Scotland about the effectiveness of the current legislation and that is why, in my Programme for Government, I will review the operation of the Act to determine whether we should take steps to strengthen the current law.” “It is important that the legislation meets its intended aims and protects our wild animals, so I will publish our review within the coming months, setting out next steps.”

Anne Brummer, CEO of The Save Me Trust said “We had a good conversation with the First Minister, it is clear we are working towards the same goals in regard of the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act “. Anne continued “Both Brian and I enjoyed meeting Nicola, we are looking forward to working with her in the future and sharpening up on our social media skills” she explained “Nicola is very advanced in her social media skills and showed us some great tips when working off your mobile”

Outfoxing one’s opponents is enjoyable at any time, all the more so if it's an offensive that David Cameron and Co somehow failed to anticipate, and even better, leaves them spluttering with indignation too.

That a faintly ridiculous row over the repeal of the hunting act was such a successful battleground for the SNP highlights one of the key features of Scottish politics today. There is an interesting, inverse phenomenon at play in these days of the democratic deficit, when Scotland votes one way, and England another.

To put it simply; the more Unionist parties can be wound up, the angrier they become, and, the more gleeful Scottish voters are, and that makes the SNP happy. ‘The Vote That Never Was’ illustrates how little the Westminster machine understands Scotland. How could Team Cameron and the Countryside Alliance have failed to foresee the Scottish nationalists’ cunning yet eminently predictable approach? yet somehow, they have walked straight into the trap.

The SNP forced Cameron to pull his pledge to relax the ban on hunting in England and Wales after signalling a change in its long-held approach at Westminster to non-Scottish issues.

Rather than abstaining, it said it would reject the proposals. Because there are a fair number of anti-hunting Tory MPs, the vote of the SNP’s 56 MP’s would have been decisive. The proposals would have fallen.

Sturgeon's defiance over hunting reveals power of nationalists

The morning after the Scottish referendum, Cameron sought to wrong-foot his opponents with his surprise move to settle the vexatious issue of hunting, with his EVEL (English Votes for English Laws) pledge. But was Dave too clever by half?

Caledonian hackles were raised – and they have stayed up. The SNP produced a subtle widening of its definition of Scottish interests. In February, Nicola Sturgeon said that “hunting, south of the border was the type of Westminster vote beyond SNP MPs’ interests’. But five months is a millennium in contemporary UK politics, and there was a delicious pot-kettle-black moment when Cameron raged at the nationalists’ “opportunism”.

The proposed statutory instrument to amend the 2004 Hunting Act and “bring it into line with Scotland’s Protection of Mammals Act 2002, that was successfully scuppered yesterday, would have brought hunting laws in England and Wales into line with Scotland’s less prohibitive legislation.

Many argue that this has zilch to do with our foxy friends, whatever side of the border they live on. It is all about more powers being devolved to Holyrood and those EVEL plans. Sturgeon was, she says, simply reminding Cameron how slender his majority in the HoC is. Some lesson. Cameron would do well never to underestimate Sturgeon again!

Even inside the ‘Westminster bubble’, Dave must be dimly aware that a Tory government more likely boosts the case for Scottish independence than a Labour one.

The SNP makes mistakes, of course. There are problems with Police Scotland, the NHS and education, all responsibilities of the Scottish Government – and, let’s be honest, that’s been the SNP since 2007. But, in the current climate north of the border, no one seems to want to listen.

The Nationalists tails are up. They, of course, have one over-riding, long-term aim. They are coherent, disciplined and clever, in fact, in any given circumstances, they seem to play their cards more cannily than their opponents but will Nicola & Co’s promised review of the Scottish Protection of Wild Mammals act be the saviour for foxes in Scotland or across the UK or will the UK even exist?

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